Spain – Barcelona’s main public transport operator TMB (Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona) has notably purchased vehicles with alternative powertrains from multiple OEMs since the launch of its 2025 decarbonisation strategy in 2021. The operator has recently ordered CNG vehicles from Evobus and MAN, electric buses from Irizar, BYD, and Solaris, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles from CaetanoBus. However, the purchase of vehicles with varying fuel systems from different OEMs brings questions surrounding which direction TMB will take next.

Under TMB’s “Strategic Plan 2025”, 100% of vehicle purchases by TMB will be low-emission vehicles, with 62% of them expected to be zero-emission. This exceeds the guidelines of the European Clean Vehicles Directive that established quotas of 45% and 22.5% respectively in 2019. Barcelona’s transport agency will add 508 ‘clean’ vehicles to its bus fleet, with around 230 expected to be battery electric, 50 to be powered by hydrogen fuel cells, and over 150 running on natural gas. Importantly, the operator intends to supply all its vehicles with green energy. The plan also lays out an interim target in 2024, where TMB plans for all of the city’s standard and articulated vehicles to be 100% electric, hydrogen, or CNG. Currently, this figure stands at 75%.